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Lower Dauphin softball avenges earlier loss to Palmyra

With a chance to sweep LD Tuesday for the first time since who knows when, the Falcons again came up with the superior effort. LD senior pitcher Paige Hollinger threw a two-hitter with eight strikeouts to dominate the Cougars 5-0.

When the Cougars opened the current season with a win at Lower Dauphin, it was the first time since 1991 that they beat LD. But even in that season when Palmyra went 17-1 to win the division, its only loss was to LD in the rematch.

The Falcons, 11-time Keystone softball champs, and Palmyra are rivals in many sports. Softball hasn't been one of them.

With a chance to sweep LD Tuesday for the first time since who knows when, the Falcons again came up with the superior effort. LD senior pitcher Paige Hollinger threw a two-hitter with eight strikeouts to dominate the Cougars 5-0.

Hollinger, who also pitched the season opener, helped her own cause by knocking in three runs on a pair of hits.

What was the difference?

"Paige threw really well today," said Palmyra catcher Sara Boyer, who had Palmyra's two hits. "She was throwing a riser that we just couldn't connect with solidly."

Boyer doubled in the second inning, walked in the fourth and singled in the seventh, after Rebecca Randall hit what appeared to be a triple down the right field line that was called foul. That was the extent of Palmyra's offense.

"We gave them a lot of easy outs today," Palmyra coach Tod Whitman said. "Paige threw with better speed than what we saw the first time."

LD jumped on losing pitcher Abbey Krahling for two runs in the first on Hollinger's bases loaded single, a run in the second on catcher Hannah Swartz's RBI double, a run in the fourth on Swartz's RBI single and Hollinger added an RBI double in the seventh.

Two of the four batters Krahling walked came around to score. LD's Jami Schaeffer opened the game with a sharp single to center, followed by walks to Kylie Costik and Swartz. Hollinger then lined to center to drive in two.

"We were searching the first inning to find the strike zone, which is very unusual for Abbey," Whitman said.

Krahling saw it somewhat differently.

"The strike zone was about the size of a softball in the first inning for me," Krahling said. "Everything had to be right down the middle. I wasn't getting any calls on the corners. But then when Paige took the mound, the strike zone seemed to expand dramatically."

The outcome had important implications. Both teams were playing to ensure their seasons continue in the upcoming District 3, Class 5A playoffs. The Cougars entered the game ranked No. 11 in the D3-5A power rankings, followed by LD at No. 12, with 16 teams qualifying for the playoffs.

The result left both teams at 10-5 on the season and 8-3 in the division, two games behind once-beaten Mechanicsburg. Palmyra has games remaining against Mechanicsburg and twice-beaten Bishop McDevitt.

Palmyra had won seven straight games with its 20-4 win over Annville-Cleona on Saturday in the A-C tournament. In the title game, Twin Valley, ranked No. 3 in D3-5A, hammered out a 19-5 win over the Cougars. Two games totaling 48 runs might have taken a toll on the Cougars.

"I don't think the loss to Twin Valley had an impact on us today," Boyer said. "We came back Monday with a really good practice. Twin Valley hit the ball really well. Our offense (Tuesday) just wasn't there."

Win or lose, the Cougars, who have doubled their win total from a year ago, reluctantly raised their team flag after the game.

"We fly our flag after every game," Whitman said. "When we win, we raise the one with the W on it. We're proud when we win and want the community to know it. When we lose, we fly the one with the L on it. But that's OK, too. It'll show us tomorrow that we have to keep working hard. The important thing is we take ownership of how we do. We can't blame anything on the umpires or other outside influences."